Hinge for convertible automobile-bodies.



H. SMITH. HINGE FOR CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE BQDIES.

L17Q569, Patented Feb. 8, I916. 2 $HEET$SHEET I- APPLICATION FILED MAY I2. I91].

I IVVENTOR,

WITNESSES: I

. 17' dd J 272 ITTORNEY.

H. SMITH.

HINGE FOR CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE BODIES.

APPLICATIONv FILED MAY 12, I911.

INVENTOR, dale Jirzdfl,

A T T ORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 mmss WITNESSES.-

7PM WWW HIN'SDALE SMITH, OE SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO TO THE SPRING- FIELD BODY COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACSETTS.

HINGE FOB CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE-BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 19116.

Application filed May 12, 1911. Serial No. 626,737.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, HINSDALE SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hinges for Convertible Automobile-Bodies, of which the following 1S 9. full, clear, and exact description.

The invention pertains to, or is especially applicable in conjunction with an automobile body which isso convertible as to be utilized as a closed vehicle resembling a limousine or landaulet, or used as an open touring ear.

The convertible body of the character to which this invention pertains is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claimed in my application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me Feb. 20, 1911, Serial No. 609,564, such body being characterized in part by the inclusion of a foldable top comprising a plurality of bows adapted to have, as to the depending side members thereof, separated relations and to be detachably supported and substantially in parallelism on the sides of the body and to form frames or casings for sash provided windows removably held between them. In such bodies certain of the windows are provided to appear, when the body is to be closed, as vertical continuations of the doors; and the present invention contemplates means by which the window is hinge connected to an upper portion of the door and adapted to have an upright position above the upper edge of the latter and to have a folded position adjacent the inner side of the door, and means comprised in the hinge devices for locking the members of each hinge sothat the window is held rigidly in its upright position as a vertical continuation of the door and in place between the depending members of the bows which form a frame or casing for the window; and inasmuch as the hinge devices are of special character and function, the invention in part consists in the construction of the hinge devices as hereinafter shown and described.

The invention is fully described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a convertible automobile body showing a window as in its elevated position in continuation with the hinge side door. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the top as folded and rearwardly disposed, and the window indicated as in its folded position on the inner side of the door. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the hinge devices of which two are provided in connection between the door and sash provided window. Fig. 4 is a view at the inner side of the door showing the window swung of which, when the top is up, have their lower ends of the opposite side or depending bow members detachably secured in socketed ear lugs g g, and the top when folded up to have the horizontally swung and rearwardly slid disposition as represented in Fig. 2, all

in the manner and by reason of constructions and arrangements described and shown in my aforementioned application for patent.

A pair of the depending members a a of the bows, at one side of the automobile body, when set up are in lines substantially coincident with the front and rear edges of the door to form a frame or casement for the window G.

The window, the glass portion of which is held in a sufliciently substantial sash is foldably connected to an upper portion of the door by a pair of hinge devices F F of special and novel construction.

Each hinge consists of a door attachment member 9 and a window attachment member k,the member 9 being secured on the inner side of the vertical portion 5 of the door frame in part by the screw 7' and in 'part by the bolt like rod is, which latter contributes as an element in the construction of the lock hinge which is being here described.

The door attachment member 9 in its u per end has a socket g in which a. dowel 1' e projection k of the window attachment m represents a bar pivoted at m so that the said bar has its swinging movement on a horizontal axis, the line of which is at right angles to the horizontal axial line of the aforementioned hinge pivot h,-the axis of the pivots k for the pair of hinges being in a coincident horizontal line parallel and'slightly below the upper horizontal edge of the door.

The bolt like rod lowhich is rigidly --connected to the door attachment member by having a portion screw engaged therethrough as shown in Fig. 7 extends loosely through and beyond an intermediate part of the pivoted locking bar m, and has a shoulder n constituted by a screw engaged nut at its end and a spring 0 is provided in an encircling engagement around the rod]: and in compression between the shoulder n and the pivoted bar m.

It is to be noticed that the portion 3) of the window attachment member h which is adjacent the pivot has a beveled face 9 and the face 1- of the extremity of the locking bar m is beveled on a corresponding slant, so that when the window is carried by the pivot attachment members k k to a vertical position so that the depending flange t at the lower edge of the window sash near its outer corner engages with the upstanding rib u on the upper edge of the door, the parts of the window attachment member 7:. and pivot locking bar having the beveled faces 9 and r will be brought into a spring retained locking engagement, entirely effective for preventing, unless purposed, .the inward swinging of the window, while any swinging of the window beyond the vertical in an outward direction will be prevented by the engagement of the aforementioned flange t and rib u. And it. is furthermore to be noted that the lower butt end portion of the sash attachment member It has its location below and inwardly offset from the face of the sash, and the door attachment member has its upper portion inwardly offset from and below the upper edge of the horizontal top portion of the door,the pivotal connection being made through these so located portions, and as a result thereof when the sash is swung from its folded position closely inside of the door to an oblique position, approaching the vertical, the sash thenhas its swinging movement downwardly. as well as outwardly so that the lower edge of' the sash will be brought to a crowding engagement against the aforementioned rib u, which latter may be of rubber or like compressible material; and thus an entirely closed and water-tight connection is made between the sash and the horizontal upper edge portion of the door.

When it is desired to swing the window .from and substantially inwardly and folded adjacent the inner side of the door, this may be done by tightly grasping the upper portion of the sash and manually imparting sufiicient swinging force thereto to throw the pivoted bar an out of it locking engagement with the adjacent portion of the window attachment hinge member,such disengagement becoming possible by reason of the beveling of the faces (1 and r so that the portionof the attachment member adjacent its hinge has the character of a channel having inwardly divergent walls, and by making the nuts or extremity of the locking bar m with the face 1* opposite the face 1 also beveled and convergent relatively to the face 1, somewhat increased stability of the parts in their locked relations will be asured; but I ex pressly do not desire to be limited to the precise details of constructions and formations shown.

As apparent from inspection of the dif-' ferent views of the drawings, the window when not desired to be held in its upright position, as when a closed body is required, may be folded quite compactly in relation to, the inner side of the door; and it may have its. swinging movements without be I ing interfered with by the handle '0 which operates the door lock, the location of which is indicated at c in Fig. 4.

I claim.

1. A hinge consisting of an attachment member, and a second attachment member pivoted thereto, a bar pivoted to the first attachment member, near the lower end of the latter, arranged in separation and .approximate parallelism therewith, and such bar together with the portion of the second attachment member adjacent its pivot having, the one a channel with inwardly convergent walls, and the other a locking portion having tapering sides for an engagement in the channel, and a spring operative for imparting a yielding pressure to the pivoted bar in a direction toward the first attachment member.

2. A hinge consisting of an attachment member and a second attachment member pivoted thereto, a bar having the lower portion thereof pivoted to, and arranged ofl'set parallel with the first attachment member for a swinging movement toward and away from such member, and at right angles tothe plane of swinging movement of the second attachment member, and such bar, together with the portion of the second attachment member adjacent its pivot'having, the one a channel with inwardly convergent walls,

attachment member and extending loosely through and beyond the pivoted'bar, having a shoulder at its outer end and aspring encircling said rod and in compression between said shoulder and the bar.

3. A locking hinge consisting of two attachment members, one of said members provided with a socket at its upper end, a dowel arranged on one side of the lower end of the associate member of said hinge adapted to swing in said socket, a beveled portion arranged on said last mentioned member at the opposite side of the dowel, a bar pivoted to the first mentioned member, said bar having its free end yieldingly engaged with said bevel portion.

4. A hinge consisting of an attachment member and a second attachment member presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

HI'NSDALE SMITH. Witnesses G. R. DRISCOLL, WM. S. BELLOWS. 

